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Trustees call for action on retire-rehire policy
(by Joan Demirjian - December 02, 2009)
Trustees call for action on retire-rehire policy
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Bainbridge Trustees said Monday they are seeking to put a policy in place by the end of the year addressing a procedure for rehiring employees who retire.
The Geauga County Prosecutor's Office has been asked to advise them on such a policy.
Trustee Matthew Lynch said he believes the township should have clear direction from legal counsel on the issue so "that we are not creating any problem."
Trustee Jeffrey Markley said he has a copy of a policy from Ohio State University that could be used.
Trustee Linda White questioned, "How long are we going to wait?" She suggested that they send a copy of the university's policy to the prosecutor's office for review. "If one arm of government can do it, another could do it as well," she said of adopting such a policy.
Mr. Markley said he would like to have a statement concerning the township's policy in place by the end of the year.
"I would too," Mr. Lynch said. "We should pass it or get it off the agenda."
All three trustees agree that a policy should be adopted, Ms. White said. "I'm disappointed the assistant prosecutor hasn't weighed in yet on the issue," she said. "We have to move ahead with a policy."
The policy would state that trustees do not approve of rehiring someone who is retiring but would do it if it's a "critical" employee, Ms. White said. "I want the assistant prosecutor to weigh in on it."
Mr. Markley said rehiring "is generally not something to cultivate." People should not retire to be rehired, he said. "But in special circumstances, it might be valuable to keep someone on board."
He said he also wants to discuss with departments the need to be training replacements in the case of promotions or retirement.
"It doesn't allow people in the department to grow and it gets stagnant," Mr. Markley said of rehiring retired employees. "New people can put their own twist and nuances on a department, hopefully for the betterment of the township."
Mr. Lynch said he has done some research on policies from other sources as well. Possibilities in a policy could include a limit on the number of years a person stays after being rehired, he said. A policy could include rehiring a retiree at a significantly lower salary than it was before retirement.
Some communities hire back at 60 percent to 70 percent of the previous salary, Mr. Lynch said, and benefits also could be excluded.
"We should have a policy so employees know what to expect if they seek to be rehired," he said. "Rehiring a former employee at full wage is not a financially responsible thing to do in many cases."
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